Chysn's Gear Rant Thread...

[chysn]

• Back To Eurorack: Building up an 84HP 3U system primarily of Make Noise modules. Downside here is that the well-known worldwide supply chain problems have ravaged the eurorack vertical and it'll be hard to get what I want at any price.

Since I knew that I wasn't going to rebuild a eurorack system until an Optomix was involved, I pre-ordered one and just waited patiently for some-odd months. Apparently, Make Noise had gone about a year without distributing any Optomixes, and nobody was letting used ones go.

My patience paid off, and I finally scored an Optomix from Detroit Modular. Now they're out of stock everywhere again! And, I'm quite pleased with the vactrols I got. Everything else has been relatively easy to find, or my timing was lucky.

I'm applying the lessons I learned five years ago, which allows me to build a focused single-maker voice, one that fills many of Pro 3's gaps. Since I have the Pro 3, my eurorack voice is pretty much strictly a West Coast voice, with lowpass gates instead of a filter, and function generators instead of LFOs and EGs. Having the Pro 3 makes a lot of module decisions way less stressful. For example, I don't feel the impulse to cram a ladder filter in there.

I'm finding that the eurorack was a sound and workflow that I really missed.

[chysn]

I'd like a polysynth. I have four monosynths now, and zero polysynths.

I'm considering all options at this point, from selling everything and getting a Prophet 5 (or Prophet 6 or Trigon 6) to picking up a desktop poly and using my Pro 3 as a controller. The contenders for the second option include:

• MPC One - Has the advantage of multiple types of synthesis, as well as a standalone DAW.
• Roland SH-4d - Integrated keyboard (an emergency auxiliary one) and battery powered make this attractive.
• Korg Wavestate - I mostly do science fiction music, so wave sequencing is fun.

Is there anything good I'm missing? Should I just get a Take 5?

[Manbird]

I'd like a polysynth. I have four monosynths now, and zero polysynths.

I'm considering all options at this point, from selling everything and getting a Prophet 5 (or Prophet 6 or Trigon 6) to picking up a desktop poly and using my Pro 3 as a controller. The contenders for the second option include:

• MPC One - Has the advantage of multiple types of synthesis, as well as a standalone DAW.
• Roland SH-4d - Integrated keyboard (an emergency auxiliary one) and battery powered make this attractive.
• Korg Wavestate - I mostly do science fiction music, so wave sequencing is fun.

Is there anything good I'm missing? Should I just get a Take 5?

I'd say start with a Prophet 5 and work your way down!

[LPF83]

I'd like a polysynth. I have four monosynths now, and zero polysynths.

I'm considering all options at this point, from selling everything and getting a Prophet 5 (or Prophet 6 or Trigon 6) to picking up a desktop poly and using my Pro 3 as a controller. The contenders for the second option include:

• MPC One - Has the advantage of multiple types of synthesis, as well as a standalone DAW.
• Roland SH-4d - Integrated keyboard (an emergency auxiliary one) and battery powered make this attractive.
• Korg Wavestate - I mostly do science fiction music, so wave sequencing is fun.

Is there anything good I'm missing? Should I just get a Take 5?

As much as I love my MPC, I don't think I would recommend solely for the purpose of being a polysynth for a number of reasons, mainly its overall CPU power.  It's great as a compact production box, sampler, drum machine, and even a monosynth, but polyphony, especially for analog enumations is limited.  For example Tubesynth (analog poly emulation) only offers 4 voices of poly.  I have no doubt it could do more, but some of the Akai plugins I think are optimized for leaving room for other things along the lines of production.  On the other hand, while I don't have an SH-4d yet, I have a feeling an MPC plus a SH-4d would be a killer combination and price of both units would be close to a Take 5.

Of the ones you mentioned, Wavestate might be a good choice.  A Hydrasynth desktop would be a great choice for sci-fi sounds if you don't need multi-timbrality.

[chysn]

I'd say start with a Prophet 5 and work your way down!

I haven't ruled it out. In many ways, Trigon 6 kind of appeals to me more, though. The extra oscillator (a.k.a., the extra LFO), the effects, the small footprint, the arpeggiator and sequencer. I get that Prophet 5 is iconic, though.

[chysn]

A Hydrasynth desktop would be a great choice for sci-fi sounds if you don't need multi-timbrality.

Hydrasynth was not on my radar for some reaason. I think it's because I didn't know there was a desktop version. I'll look deeply into that. I don't care that much about multi-timbrality. The price is right.

And thanks for the perspective on the MPC. Yes, I am looking more for a poly than a DAW.

[Manbird]

I'd say start with a Prophet 5 and work your way down!

I haven't ruled it out. In many ways, Trigon 6 kind of appeals to me more, though. The extra oscillator (a.k.a., the extra LFO), the effects, the small footprint, the arpeggiator and sequencer. I get that Prophet 5 is iconic, though.

I'm not making a sales pitch, just a soft lob! It's more the idea to me that the Prophet 5 IS the poly synth. It's simple in a certain way, but it's iconic in part because it simply sounds so good. It's always been the one synth I'd want if I wanted no others. That said, in the fantasy where the Internet (in this case, me...) gets to tell you what to do, I say keep your monos and add a poly. Such a different feeling between the mono and poly head trip.

[chysn]

I'm not making a sales pitch, just a soft lob!

Oh, I know that. It's just that I've heard your stuff, and that's kind of the sales pitch! But also, your Prophet 6 stuff is also a good sales pitch.

[chysn]

I like a lot of things about Hydrasynth. Strong contender.

For a lot of reasons, I've also added DSI TETR4 to my candidate list. But I'd have to be pretty opportunistic about that. It's hard to choose TETR4 over Hydrasynth based on features, but I have a lot of C software and patches from my Mopho that I kind of miss.

[Manbird]

I'm not making a sales pitch, just a soft lob!

Oh, I know that. It's just that I've heard your stuff, and that's kind of the sales pitch! But also, your Prophet 6 stuff is also a good sales pitch.

Ha! I do love the P6, but I've had to do battle with it often. As Sir Paul puts it, "it's a clean machine," and sometimes too clean for my taste. I've run out of space and money and any thought of a new such-and-such synth means I'd have to sell something else. Geosynth's Trigon vid has me looking at my P6 as one I'd consider letting go, partly because I can get the P5 to make all the P5 sounds I try to get outta the P6 and partly because the "feature set" is closely matched between the P6 and Trigon, while the Trigon - far as I can tell - has a gut sound closer to what I like to hear. It's got more sonic heft. Still, my P6 sits directly in front of me and gets daily use.

The System 8 might be worth a think, maybe? Great range between classic warm poly sounds and harsh,metal/digital...

[Quatschmacher]

Worth looking at Novation Peak and Summit too.

[LPF83]

A Hydrasynth desktop would be a great choice for sci-fi sounds if you don't need multi-timbrality.

Hydrasynth was not on my radar for some reaason. I think it's because I didn't know there was a desktop version. I'll look deeply into that. I don't care that much about multi-timbrality. The price is right.

And thanks for the perspective on the MPC. Yes, I am looking more for a poly than a DAW.

A couple of other ideas:

There is a plugin version of Korg Wavestate as well as the Opsix that you could try and see how you think you might gel with them them as a dedicated hardware instrument (even if the overall experience is different the sound should be almost identical).  The same is true for the Arturia Minifreak, which is another poly that may be worth considering.

[chysn]

There is a plugin version of Korg Wavestate as well as the Opsix that you could try and see how you think you might gel with them them as a dedicated hardware instrument (even if the overall experience is different the sound should be almost identical).  The same is true for the Arturia Minifreak, which is another poly that may be worth considering.

I did consider checking out the Wavestate plugin. The downside is, it's $200. It's only $50 if you have a hardware Wavestate, but the discount works in only one direction.

At the moment, I'm finding Hydrasynth particularly compelling. I like the Explorer version. Usually, I'd use the Pro 3 as a controller, but the emergency keyboard is nice to have. I admire Hydrasynth's editing approach, with the entire signal path laid out on the panel. It's somewhat like the Little Phatty, which I always thought was an under-appreciated interface. I also like that it's not "modeling" anything. It's just its own thing.

Downside of the Explorer is that it lacks CV inputs. Downside of the Desktop is that I don't really understand the pads yet.

[Shaw]

… Downside of the Desktop is that I don't really understand the pads yet.

IIRC the pads are aftertouch capable, and you can think of its layout like a mini Linnstrument.  The pads can be chromatic notes, notes of a selected scale, guitar-like tuned in fourths.

[LPF83]

There is a plugin version of Korg Wavestate as well as the Opsix that you could try and see how you think you might gel with them them as a dedicated hardware instrument (even if the overall experience is different the sound should be almost identical).  The same is true for the Arturia Minifreak, which is another poly that may be worth considering.

I did consider checking out the Wavestate plugin. The downside is, it's $200. It's only $50 if you have a hardware Wavestate, but the discount works in only one direction.

At the moment, I'm finding Hydrasynth particularly compelling. I like the Explorer version. Usually, I'd use the Pro 3 as a controller, but the emergency keyboard is nice to have. I admire Hydrasynth's editing approach, with the entire signal path laid out on the panel. It's somewhat like the Little Phatty, which I always thought was an under-appreciated interface. I also like that it's not "modeling" anything. It's just its own thing.

Downside of the Explorer is that it lacks CV inputs. Downside of the Desktop is that I don't really understand the pads yet.

The price point of the Explorer is compelling, and you get a mini keybed with poly aftertouch.  On the desktop version the pads provide poly aftertouch.  But for me poly aftertouch isn't a must have, and I would only be likely to take advantage of it on full size keys either way.  I do like the extra screen room of the desktop, but have not tried the Explorer to understand how much of a disadvantage the smaller screen would be, if it at all.

I didn't realize the Wavestate plugin was that expensive, but yeah I'd likely wait for a sale or pass at $200.

[Paul Dither]

These are all very different options on the axes "simple to complex," "immediate to menu-divey," and "analog sounding to digital sounding," especially if you add synths like the Hydrasynth to the mix. So I think it all depends on what you like a polysynth to be capable of and whether you embrace limitations or tend to prefer numerous options.

Certainly, a Prophet-5 is no alternative to a Hydrasynth or Wavestate and vice versa. If an additional LFO and internal FX are important, I would rule out the Prophet-5 as strictly speaking there is no utilitarian or practical argument for it other than its particular sound and immediacy.

[chysn]

These are all very different options on the axes "simple to complex," "immediate to menu-divey," and "analog sounding to digital sounding," especially if you add synths like the Hydrasynth to the mix. So I think it all depends on what you like a polysynth to be capable of and whether you embrace limitations or tend to prefer numerous options.

I know I'm all over the map. Options are starting to boil down a little, but the diversity is definitely the challenge and the fun of looking into things.

Certainly, a Prophet-5 is no alternative to a Hydrasynth or Wavestate and vice versa. If an additional LFO and internal FX are important, I would rule out the Prophet-5 as strictly speaking there is no utilitarian or practical argument for it other than its particular sound and immediacy.

Yeah, Prophet 5 is more-or-less out of the picture. Trigon 6 is still in the picture, though. The extra stuff that these six-voice synths offer for about the same price is not trivial. I really want an arpeggiator. I really want effects. I can't get around that.

[chysn]

I'd say start with a Prophet 5 and work your way down!

Anton called it! I bought a Prophet 5.

If I’m lucky, it’ll arrive next week.

[Manbird]

I'd say start with a Prophet 5 and work your way down!

Anton called it! I bought a Prophet 5.

If I’m lucky, it’ll arrive next week.

Ha! Please send my 15% commission to me via PayPal. Congrats!

I just moved my wife's rev 3 P5 into my studio last night, setting it up for a bit of A/B action with my rev 4. Really, while one unit did "this" a little bit more "this way" and the other sounded more "that" if you did "this and this," the truth is that the P5 of any revision is nothing but a wondrous creation.

[Paul Dither]

Yeah, Prophet 5 is more-or-less out of the picture. […] I really want an arpeggiator. I really want effects. I can't get around that.

Anton called it! I bought a Prophet 5.

That's the spririt! 

Welcome to the P-5 club.